missing hole in bridge

[Killed_by_Death]

Got in the cosmo-black B100 bridge today & I can't believe I didn't notice this in the photos on eBay, but THERE it is, one hole is missing:

B100 bridges

• Killed_by_Death
• Jun 28, 2019
• ibanez

chrome one on the left fits perfectly
Granted, the one on the right will fit, but less one point of securing it.

Should I just put it on & not worry about it?
I'm assuming this is an older version of the bridge.

I realize the correct answer is to drill a new hole, but I don't have the means. I'd be lucky to get through the metal & then I'd want to countersink it, as well.

 

[Abner]

Two screws at the front, also? Five screws is plenty for a bridge. I'd go with that one as is.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Yeah, 5 total, but I think the ones at the back are the most important. They're the ones with the most upward force exerted on them.

 

[Abner]

I have plenty of bridges — probably most of them, in fact — with three screws at the back, and two in the front. They've been working as intended since 1980 or so.

 

[sissy kathy]

I don't think you have a hole missing; I think the old bridge has an extra one. I had never seen asymmetric holes on a bridge until you posted that chrome one.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

The six-hole configuration is what Ibanez is currently using on their cheap basses, GSR100, Mikro, anything with a B10 or B100 bridge.

Also on the B300 bridges: SR500:

and B120 on SR300/400:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[sissy kathy]

Now that I look closer, both those bridge are asymmetric, I wonder how many other bridges I've seen like that and just never noticed.

 

[Reedt2000]

Two screws at the front, also? Five screws is plenty for a bridge. I'd go with that one as is.

Agreed, 5 screws will hold just fine (and you know enough to make sure the existing holes aren't stripped, and to fix them if they are). I'm pretty sure my G&L bridge is only held on with 2.

 

[Dean N]

How about an Ibanez 5er bridge with 6 screws, but asymmetrical saddles that result in the bridge needing to be mounted off-center?

Sorry, had to (re)post.

As is, the bridge should be fine, KBD. I'd contact Ibanez with a pic to ask, and give them a heads-up. Might be a production error. Who knows, maybe you'll get a replacement.

 

[Slater]

Give it one head scratch…one shoulder shrug…then mount that baby…

 

[ProfFrink]

Very interesting... Is this the same bridge that Ibanez puts on the GSRs? (GSR100, GSR200).

It sure looks familiar. Looks just like the one on my GSR200L. I didn't know they had a part number and can be ordered, and in different colors to boot. Very useful to have this info.

Anyway, I'm not sure the missing hole is just a small problem as others here seem to say. It probably would have been if this was a well-made high-quality bridge, but this isn't the case here. These bridges are very cheap and I doubt they are made from the best metal.

The 'missing' screw seems to be there for a reason: The places where the bridge screws are most needed and are most under stress is the places where the forces of the strings tend to 'lift' the bridge off the surface of the bass, and near the string anchor-points is exactly where this happens.

My guess is that they added this extra screw at some point when these bridges stated lifting exactly at this area. Granted - this is just a guess - but it's a guess by someone with a degree in mechanical engineering that has had a very similar bass for a few years now.

It will probably be fine either way, but if you're worried AND if there's a bridge with both the right color and the extra whole - get that.

 

[ixlramp]

Because the holes are offset so much, the 4th was close to the edge. The 3 holes are almost centred, So it looks like a reasonable design decision, not a fault.

 

[bpc]

If you drill an extra hole and counter sink it, you'll lose some of the finish. The cosmo black is just a coating. I'd fit it as is.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

My guess is that they added this extra screw at some point when these bridges stated lifting exactly at this area.

That was exactly what my first thought was, that this is an older version of the bridge, before some R&D.
So, instead of installing it as-is, I pilfered the saddles from it & put them onto the black bridge I had on there.

First I capo'd it off so I could remove the saddles w/o having to completely re-string:

capo-GSR100

• Killed_by_Death
• Jun 29, 2019
• ibanez

capo to hold the strings while I change the saddles

Job done & now I have two mismatched bridges:

saddle swap

• Killed_by_Death
• Jun 29, 2019
• b100

cross-bred bridges

The saddles from the black bridge have an odd little thing where they won't completely lower. The adjustment screw cannot go up through the top, which leaves the action slightly high.
I had a shim in the neck, but that caused it to lose all the high-end.

Oddly enough, when it's hanging near me (just over 1 Meter from my face) I can't even tell the saddles don't belong on that bridge:

GSR100EX

• Killed_by_Death
• Jun 29, 2019
• 1
• ibanez

new saddles

Last night I ordered a full-pocket shim & some odds & ends from Stew-Mac, so next week I may put the shim in & put the black saddles back on.
TBH I don't need to, the different finishes aren't a big deal on such a cheap instrument. The sound is what counts. It's got parts from 3 different instruments.

The knobs & strap-buttons already don't match & I'm not going to spend money to fix that.
In retrospect I should have ordered replacement saddles for the black bridge, probably would have been cheapest.

 

[Reedt2000]

That was exactly what my first thought was, that this is an older version of the bridge, before some R&D.
So, instead of installing it as-is, I pilfered the saddles from it & put them onto the black bridge I had on there.

First I capo'd it off so I could remove the saddles w/o having to completely re-string:

capo-GSR100

• Killed_by_Death
• Jun 29, 2019
• ibanez

capo to hold the strings while I change the saddles

Job done & now I have two mismatched bridges:

saddle swap

• Killed_by_Death
• Jun 29, 2019
• b100

cross-bred bridges

The saddles from the black bridge have an odd little thing where they won't completely lower. The adjustment screw cannot go up through the top, which leaves the action slightly high.
I had a shim in the neck, but that caused it to lose all the high-end.

Oddly enough, when it's hanging near me (just over 1 Meter from my face) I can't even tell the saddles don't belong on that bridge:

GSR100EX

• Killed_by_Death
• Jun 29, 2019
• 1
• ibanez

new saddles

Last night I ordered a full-pocket shim & some odds & ends from Stew-Mac, so next week I may put the shim in & put the black saddles back on.
TBH I don't need to, the different finishes aren't a big deal on such a cheap instrument. The sound is what counts. It's got parts from 3 different instruments.

The knobs & strap-buttons already don't match & I'm not going to spend money to fix that.
In retrospect I should have ordered replacement saddles for the black bridge, probably would have been cheapest.

I like the mismatched finishes. The knobs are chrome, there are the pickup pole pieces, it looks like they belong there.

 

[Turnaround]

If you need some extra holes for the bridge in question, I think I have a few spares in the shop.... if I can find them ... come to think of it I haven't seen them in a while.....

 

[Stumbo]

If you need some extra holes for the bridge in question, I think I have a few spares in the shop.... if I can find them ... come to think of it I haven't seen them in a while.....

Free shipping, I suspect.

 

[GIBrat51]

Either of those bridges have more than enough holes/screws to hold it down. I have 3 basses with bridges like this - and they work just fine. Two of them have done so for 20+ years, in fact; with only one screw (the hole in back) holding them down. The other two holes are for raising/lowering the screws that the front of the bridge sits on...

 

[John Cribbin]

Out of interest, is the B100 a direct replacement for the B10?

I'll be looking to put something a bit more meaty on my TMB30 at some point. Well I've had it 3 days .... Bone nut due in the next few days.

 

[Turnaround]

Free shipping, I suspect.

It will depend on the weight. But as I remember they were pretty light, so yes to free shipping. I won’t guarantee delivery though - last time apparently the package arrived empty.